New book is inspired by ‘Miss Ingrid’s training school

Ingrid Grayling

I had a very exciting and eagerly anticipated delivery this month. One of my clients is an author and a few months ago she asked me if she could use me and the training sessions she had with her and her dog, Annika, with me as inspiration for a new book she was writing. A few days ago I received a brown package in the post and I instantly knew what it was – ‘Just Annika’ had arrived!

I think I read the book in one evening, I couldn’t put it down – it is an absolutely charming and enchanting book which tells the candid confessions of ‘Annika’ a Cardigan corgi.

The author to this highly entertaining book is Vivien Saunders, former British Women’s Open Golf Champion and twice winner of the British Sports Coach. Vivien is a golf coach and entrepreneur and owns the Cambridge Meridian Golf Club and Abbotsley Golf Hotel in Cambridgeshire. In 1997 Vivien was awarded an OBE for services to golf and has written books with Sir Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer.

I am totally honoured that I became inspiration for this book. Vivien said that her experience with me over the days that I worked with her and Annika had really made an impression on her so much so that she wanted to feature me and my training school.

Through Annika’s creative and entertaining narrating, the book tells the story of Annika learning to become a fully trained dog at ‘Miss Ingrid’s School of Correction’, as I have been referred to in the story, and how ‘Miss Ingrid’ turned Annika from a naughty cheese eating puppy into a dog show winner and a totally well behaved and trained dog.

The book launches this month, retails at £15.99 and will be available from Amazon.

Extract from: Chapter 13: The School of Correction

We drove the short distance to the school and Miss Ingrid was there to greet us. Before she had even really welcomed us or exchanged the time of day she made it clear she disapproved of dogs sitting in harness on the front seat next to their owns. She thought it far better for a dog to travel in the back in its own cage.“Shall I bring Annika in on a lead?” ‘No’, said Miss Ingrid. “We’ll leave her in the car. Please put her in her cage in the back. I always start with my lessons with the owners. A badly behaved dog, in all but the most unusual circumstances, is the result of a badly disciplined owner.” My owner was gone for quite a considerable time while I sat patiently in the back of the car. When they both came out to fetch me, my owner looked a little flustered. She has brought a couple of leads for me. There was a nice red one and green one showing pictures of dogs and bones. Then there was a very special lead, a long string one that shot out at various lengths and allowed me a bit of freedom to walk ahead of her. “I always confiscate those extending leads straight away. You’ll never get a well-behaved, controlled dog using that they’re the scourge of dog trainers. I have a whole cupboard full of confiscated leads. Yes, you can keep it, provided you promise never to use it again. Please put her on the other lead and we’ll get started”. We went into Miss Ingrid’s classroom and I curled up on the floor on the rug, with just one ear to the conversation. “Would you like a cup of tea?” My owner said she would and could she please have two spoonful of sugar. I thought this was unusual because she didn’t take sugar. And then I remembered some advice I’d heard on the radio – give tea with sugar to someone suffering shock or distress. That’s why she wanted sugar with her tea. She was in shock. I felt a little sorry for my owner.”

If you enjoyed this and are interested in purchasing a copy do get in touch with me.